Mark Finley wrote:I'm not sure the concept of replacing a piston valve with a rotor is one than anyone can corner the market on, legally. Either way, you two work it out in private. We're not to hash it out in public on the board

Isn't this a discussion board? Aren't we to discuss?

There have been multiple instances of such discussions being revised or otherwise deleted when someone brought to light something that's been copied or otherwise alluded to.

As long as you are making the 4th valve a rotor, I would love if someone made to operate with the right or left hand. I like the Besson 983 but often when playing low passages I reach across with my left hand to operate the 4th valve.

The 6/4 compensated BBb continues to be developed, now with re-routed 3rd and 4th valve loops. We are hoping to involve a top British Championship BBb Bass player to give us feedback before the design is finalised.

Easy to hold and play with depth of sound beyond anything previously heard in a Brass Bands, I can wait to see these out and hear these within a band.

This tuba continues to interest me.No...I dunno if I would ever buy one, but the idea is truly original, and could - finally - offer that "imitating a string bass" type of sound to British/British-style brass bands.

Compensating or not, it's the rare tuba that offers its intonation to the player requiring no #1 slide manipulation. Some of the comp. Eb's are "nearly there", and I don't feel compelled to do anything with my Eb to mobilize the #1 slide...and euphonium intonation is typically nebulous (with the barn-door-wide "lipping" that is usually available) with some of them also featuring main slide triggers. The BBb's, though, all seem as though they could a bit of help.

The right hand thumb (with most any 3+1 comp instrument) does nothing. I wonder (??) if someone in that plant could come up with a way for the left hand thumb to either manipulate the #1 slide on that behemoth - or (possibly...??) the main slide...OR for a way for the right hand thumb to control your #4 rotor, and (then) a way for the left hand to operate a slide. Heck (though quite odd-looking), were the left hand to be completely freed up, the #1 slide could be reoriented to horizontal - out towards the bell, and feeding into the left hand.